Every Day a Memory: Fall from the Phone

It's hard to believe it's the last day of November, and tomorrow we start all things Advent. Although it already looks like a Christmas Winter Wonderland around here (minus the snow), we still have stories of Fall and Thanksgiving to share before we move fully into December. This year is speeding on by, and there is just so much happening right now. God is blessing us abundantly left and right, and though almost overwhelming at times, it's all so very good. I have so much to share over the next several weeks but first - our final images of fall taken from my phone. What a fast but beautiful few months.

A few of my favorite, simple images and memories:

//Front porch hangs. Lit candles, rainstorm watching, Lucy welcoming the kids home on the school bus, morning devotional reads with the kids, Jaden practicing his jump shot until dark... and pumpkins and coffee.

//store shenanigans. Pulling his tooth out in the HyVee check-out aisle, browsing all the Halloween costume selections, and putting the beginning touches on Christmas wish lists by cruising frequently through the toy aisles.

//Panther football. Tailgating with friends, my new role as Panther Scholarship Club Co-Chair alongside David Johnson, Dad's big surgery right before the first home game.. and the Athletic Department's sweet tributes.

//Dad's first game back and recovery walks with Brandon during cardiac rehab.

//The start of guitar lessons!

//The return of UNI basketball season, an early morning kickoff breakfast in the McLeod Center... and getting to introduce our boys to legendary coach Eldon Miller!

//Lucy girl. She has a personality only her mama can truly love, but she does indeed provide so much entertainment for us! She knows the sound of the school bus and loves running to the door to greet the boys when they get home from school. She has hilarious tendencies, like tucking herself in under blankets on her favorite chair in the sun room... and she treats Cody like a toy mouse. A very big toy mouse. ;)

... yes - that is her tucked in under the blanket. All of her own doing!

//This cutie and his continued Star Wars obsession. This morning I walked into his room to find that he had replaced the star topper on his Christmas tree with a Darth Vader head. ;)

//a new Outlaw season, a celebratory Doughy Joey's night with our team, a fun Cedar Falls Tiger football game... and the well-known Outlaw paparazzi. ;)

//enjoying our cozy home and our first Fall season under its roof.

//his phase of wearing football helmets... everywhere...

//fall adventures like apple picking and creek wading and woods hiking.

//and undefeated Buccaneers season... and the final flag football practice before moving onto bigger things next year...

//cozy nights at home. Board games and hot cocoa and football watch parties and fuzzy pajamas and Halloween story books and all the Harry Potter chapters.

//our backyard Deer visitors... and the poop they leave behind. ;)

//their first school pictures as Lincoln Tigers. I adore them.

//nights out on the town and Jaden's motorcycle obsession.

//pumpkin patches and Halloween celebrations and one awesome night at the haunted hayride.

//a beautiful Friday night on campus.

//and more home improvements! The new windows are FINALLY going to be installed next week, the third bedroom's wood paneling has been removed... and we have big basement plans for this winter...